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Over 4 tons of narcotics annihilated in Iran

By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Over 4 tons of narcotics were destroyed in Iran's Alborz province on the occasion of June 26, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Alborz Police Force Commander Ahmad-Ali Goudarzi, said 10.5 tons of narcotics have been seized in the province since June last year, Iran's IRNA news agency reported on June 27.

Moreover, 408 smugglers, 8,209 distributors, and 714 sellers of narcotics have been arrested, he added.

Drug trafficking represents a major challenge for the Islamic Republic of Iran. The geographical location of the country, particularly its 1,923 km long porous eastern border with Afghanistan - the world's largest illicit opium and cannabis producer - and Pakistan, has turned it into a major transit country for illicit drugs.

In response to these challenges, over the years the country has built one of the strongest counter-narcotics enforcement capabilities in the region and beyond. In 2011, Islamic Republic of Iran accounted for the highest rate of opium seizures (80%) in the world, as well as heroin seizures (30%), according to the UNODC World Drug Report 2013.